Catholic Foundation Announces First Elementary School Tuition Assistance Endowment



The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana announced today the first endowment to provide Catholic elementary school tuition assistance to its families. Named in memory of Nell Talbot Legendre, Catholic elementary school principals can request grant funds for tuition assistance for students starting in the spring of 2020. 

A native of Franklin, LA, Nell’s family moved to Houma when she was in fifth grade. Preparing to attend St. Francis, a kind storekeeper noticed her outside his closed store on a Sunday. He not only allowed her in the closed store, but also generously extended a discount to her family for her full set of uniforms. Mrs. Nell fondly recalled that act the rest of her life, and now her family wants to reciprocate to help other families requiring assistance. 

Mrs. Nell graduated from St. Francis and Vandebilt Catholic, and then sent her own children to St. Genevieve and E.D. White. Through her nursery school Building Blocks, she nurtured hundreds of children over the years. 

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux educate over 5,000 students each year, making it the largest evangelization ministry in the diocese. Those interested in contributing to the elementary school assistance fund, please contact Amy Ponson at (985) 850-3116, or aponson@htdiocese.org. 

PICTURE CUTLINE: Nell Talbot Legendre (center) is pictured with her four children. Her children have partnered with the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana to create the Nell Talbot Legendre Tuition Endowment in her memory.

 

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Welcomes Mr. Peter Boudreaux to Central Catholic
 

It is with great hope for the future that the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Schools welcomes Mr. Peter Boudreaux as the new principal of Central Catholic!  Mr. Boudreaux is an active parishioner of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Morgan City, Louisiana. His graduate studies include a Master’s degree in Education plus 30 graduate hours from Nicholls State University, where he also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

He is currently serving as the Assistant Superintendent in St. Mary Parish Public Schools. His areas of certification include Principal, Supervisor of Instruction, and Social Studies for grades 6-12.  In his 31 years as an educator, he has taught special education and social studies classes, as well as having served as an assistant baseball coach at Morgan City High School. Mr. Boudreaux has served as an administrator in both the elementary and high school settings, including serving as assistant principal of Hattie Watts Elementary School, principal of J. B. Maitland Elementary School, and principal of Morgan City High School. He served as a school administrator in St. Mary Parish Public Schools for 10 years.

In 2007, Mr. Boudreaux was named Supervisor of Instruction in St. Mary Parish Public Schools.  In that role, he was responsible for the supervision of several programs, including adult education, driver education, career and technical education, staff development, school counseling, and textbooks.  He served in that capacity until being named Director of Human Resources in 2016, a position he held for over two years.

In addition to his teaching and administrative experiences, Mr. Boudreaux has served his community in various capacities. He is a past president of the St. Mary Parish Principals Association and currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Central Catholic.  Other community service experiences include having served as a coach in youth sports. Additionally, he is an active parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Morgan City, where he serves as a lector. Mr. Boudreaux and his wife of 37 years, Nancy Boudreaux, are blessed with two sons, Zachary and Benjamin.

In the newly unified Central Catholic, Mr. Boudreaux will join Amanda Talbot, the current principal of grades Pre-K-5, as he serves as principal of grades 6-12. Having attended Holy Cross Elementary as a student, Mr. Boudreaux is very excited to serve in a faith-filled school setting and to lead students in their spiritual and academic formation.  He believes his faith in God is fundamental in his role as a school leader.   He feels truly honored and blessed to serve as principal of Central Catholic!


 

St. Genevieve Catholic Elementary School Welcomes Mrs. Cheryl Thibodaux
 

It is with great hope for the future that the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Catholic Schools and St. Genevieve Church welcome Mrs. Cheryl Thibodaux as the new principal of St. Genevieve Catholic Elementary School for the 2019-2020 school year!  Mrs. Thibodaux is an active parishioner of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church. She obtained both her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and her Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Nicholls State University.  She has also completed a teacher leader program at Nicholls State, and she will complete the Catalyst Program for Catholic School Leaders this spring through Creighton University.

Mrs. Thibodaux holds a valid Louisiana Teaching Certificate in grades 1-8. Her other areas of certification include Principal in Elementary Education, Basic Catechist certification, and certification in various assessment tools.  Mrs. Thibodaux taught 2^ndgrade for seven years at St. Genevieve before becoming Assistant Principal of St. Bernadette in Houma, a position she held for five years.  Her Catholic education journey brought her back to St. Genevieve in 2009 as Assistant Principal, the position she holds today.  Other work experiences include serving as a 4-H Club and Cross Country Co-Moderator, an AdvancED Accreditation Chair, a Diocesan Internal Monitoring Visit Chair, and as a member of the Diocesan School Safety Committee, the Diocesan Insurance Committee, and the Technology Curriculum Strategic Guide Planning Committee. Mrs. Thibodaux has also served on the Diocesan Catholic Schools Curriculum Alignment Projects for English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.  Her professional memberships include the National Catholic Educational Association, the Louisiana Association of School Executives, and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

As a parishioner of Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Thibodaux, Mrs. Thibodaux serves as a Baptismal Seminar Facilitator, a Bible Camp Station Leader, a Commentator, a Lector, and a Eucharistic Minister.  She has also served as the parish’s youth minister and as a CCD teacher.  Mrs. Thibodaux and her husband Gerald are blessed with two daughters, Sydney and Cassie. Sydney is a sophomore at E. D. White, and Cassie is in 7th grade at St. Genevieve.

Mrs. Thibodaux strives to educate the whole child and to continue to nurture an environment that forms Christian values while fostering self-improvement and self-discipline instituted by past principals.  An emphasis will be placed on sharing among all members of the school community:  students, parents, faculty, staff, clergy, and community members to create a mission to serve one another.  Mrs. Thibodaux is eager and honored to serve as the principal of St. Genevieve Catholic School!